Sit Back And Enjoy These Stunning Charts On The Rise Of Manufacturing Complexity

Harvard and MIT released a report, "The Atlas of Economic Complexity," visually mapping the vast knowledge contained within the products we use. And then they show how complex products benefit a country's economy and growth.

Simple products are natural resources that require less people with specialized knowledge, such as oil or soybeans.

Complex products require many people with specialized knowledge to research, design, develop, and invent, such as cars and computers.

Each person with specialized knowledge is a personbyte. Add these people together to get peoplebytes. Get the the right mix of peoplebytes, and a country's Economic Complexity Index (ECI) increases, as well as their economy and contribution to global growth.

A map of ECI in 2008 shows that USA and Europe rank high, while Africa brings up the rear.

Machines and appliances are the most complex products. Natural resources and crops are the least complex.

An example of measuring product complexity. Netherlands is the only producer of x-rays and medicaments, the most complex product here. It is one of two countries producing cheese and creams. And it is one of three countries that can produce fish.

By 2008, Japan became #1. The US also fell from 7th to 11th. And, Sudan has fallen into last place.

A map of ECI improvements shows that Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia are all on the rise.

A sample of evolving ECI in different countries. Ghana developed their fishing industry; Poland improved construction; Thailand shifted from textiles to electronics; and Turkey expanded from textiles to construction and into machinery.